12 Mar 2011 1:33 pm
Being a new resident of the state of Pennsylvania, this one hits close to home.PA Governor Gives Energy Executive Supreme Authority Over Environmental PermittingPennsylvania has come under fire lately as pollution from drilling in the Marcellus Shale threatens water resources across the state. But instead of ratcheting up oversight, Gov. Tom Corbett wants to hand authority over some of the states most critical environmental decisions to C. Alan Walker, a Pennsylvania energy executive with his own track record of running up against the states environmental regulations.Walker, who has contributed $184,000 to Corbetts campaign efforts since 2004, is CEO and owner of Bradford Energy Company and Bradford Coal, which was once among Pennsylvanias largest coal mining companies. He also owns or has an interest in 12 other companies, including a trucking business and a central Pennsylvania oil and gas company. Walker was Corbetts first appointeehe chose him to lead the Department of Community and Economic Development in December, before taking office. Now, as Corbett stakes much of the states economy on Marcellus Shale gas drilling, a paragraph tucked into the 1,184-page budget gives Walker unprecedented authority to expedite any permit or action pending in any agency where the creation of jobs may be impacted. That includes, presumably, coal, oil, gas and trucking. Its not clear how Corbett can delegate such sweeping authority to the economic development office, which would be reorganized to focus on coordinating with corporate interests and creating job growth. It also isnt clear how the state would address the legal conflicts that could arise if, for example, Walker pushed for approval of a permit that conflicted with the Clean Water Act or other federal laws. The governors office did not respond to repeated requests to clarify Walkers role, and other state agencies deferred to the governor.[....]Walkers ties to the energy industry are deep. He is listed on state disclosure forms as an executive of the Pennsylvania Coal Association and he has served as chairman of the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. He also has firsthand experience with the states environmental regulations, because his companies would likely have applied for permits similar to those the oil and gas industry is now pursuing in the Marcellus. And like many energy companies, his, too, have run into problems with the state.[....]In January, the Associated Press found that about 150 million gallons of Marcellus Shale wastewaterthe majority of the wastewater for the period examinedhad been dumped into rivers and streams after only partial treatment. A subsequent story from the New York Times revealed that much of that wastewater was dangerously radioactive, and that drinking water facilities have not been testing their intake for this radioactivity.Read More....BTW, Pennsylvania's new Republican Governor is proposing the nation's biggest cuts in higher education, while he absolutely refuses to tax the gas drilling that is fast becoming one of the state's largest industries. Corbett received nearly $1 million in campaign contributions from donors connected to the gas drilling industry, and he ran on a pledge not to increase any state taxes or fees.